Morning Report

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Brent Nyitray

Vital Statistics:

Last Change Percent
S&P Futures 1347.8 0.8 0.06%
Eurostoxx Index 2535.2 22.2 0.88%
Oil (WTI) 99.73 1.0 1.03%
LIBOR 0.51 -0.003 -0.63%
US Dollar Index (DXY) 78.556 -0.182 -0.23%
10 Year Govt Bond Yield 2.04% 0.06%

Markets are up slightly on a better than expected initial jobless report. Initial Jobless claims were 358k last week versus 370k expected.  The ECB maintained rates and Draghi sounded bearish tones regarding the European economy.  Headlines are coming across right now that claim Greek leaders have agreed on an austerity package.

Bloomberg is reporting (on the pay site, not the free site) that the price of Bakken shale oil has fallen out of bed (down 25%) in the last week.  There are no futures contracts on Bakken so it can’t be traded, but it demonstrates how volatile oil can be.  The reason seems to be a lack of demand from the refineries, so the oil is backing up with nowhere to put it. Refineries are probably changing over from heating oil production to gasoline production right about now.  I plotted the prices of Brent, WTI, and Bakken oil over the past year so you can see the volatility.

It looks like we have a settlement with the banks and the state AG’s over foreclosures.  $26 billion from 5 banks.  $20 billion is to be used to cut principal balances and to refi current, but underwater, homeowners.  So, of the AGs and the banks, who won?  Both.  The AGs get their scalp, and the banks will be able to count losses already taken towards the settlement. (You owe $100 on your $70 home.  I’ll be a nice guy and cut your principal to $90.  Of course, I probably am already carrying the loan at 90 on my books anyway).  On the refis, the banks will be simply cutting the interest rate on a $100 loan, which stays marked at $100. So no write downs there either.  My guess is this will be earnings-neutral near term and may cause analysts to take down next year’s numbers a little. But that’s it.  So you might want to resist the urge to take some SKFs (Proshares Ultrashort Financial ETF) on the open.

Will it help support the housing market?  Maybe at the margin.  It is no silver bullet – consider my example above – will the homeowner who now owes $90 instead of $100 go out and spend more money?  Probably not. Plus a chunk of this is simply a direct transfer from the government to borrowers since Ally Bank (the old GMAC) is owned by the government.

Filed under: Economic data, Foreclosure, housing, Shale Oil | 12 Comments »